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Spring is just around the corner and we are excited for the seasonal change this will bring to the recipes we share with you each week. But, before we say farewell to Old Man Winter for another year, we’re going to send him off in style with our winter recipe finale: Bow Tie à la Provençale.

Bow tie à la Provençale originated at Sarello’s when we first opened nearly fifteen years ago, and I fell in love with it as soon as I tasted it. It has long been a favorite among our regular clientele, many of whom are responsible for its repeated return to our winter menu. In fact, you’ll find it at Sarello’s all this week as our featured entrée special.

The dish was inspired by and received its name from the cuisine of Provence, France; more specifically, the style of cooking found in Nice and its surrounding area, which is heavily influenced by its close ties to Italy. Pasta dishes are common here.

A typical Provençale sauce would consist of tomatoes, olive oil and garlic, and our sauce is further enhanced by the use of blue cheese and heavy cream. White wine is another component, but only as a flavor builder since the alcohol content fully evaporates during the cooking process.

To make this dish really sing, we add sundried tomatoes, cooked chicken breast and fresh spinach once the sauce has thickened. Tony embraces the use of sundried tomatoes in winter, when the quality of fresh tomatoes can vary greatly, and you can find them packed dry in bags or in a jar with olive oil. Both are fine for this recipe, just be sure to soak the dry variety in warm water for about 20 minutes before using. If using the oil-packed kind, shake off any excess oil before adding them to the sauce.

Don’t let the fancy name fool you – bow tie à la Provençale is simple enough for even a novice cook to master. I should know, because it’s also become a favorite at home for our son, Giovanni, and this dish is now firmly in my repertoire.

Chicken is a main ingredient, and for this dish we use four whole breasts, each cut in half horizontally and then lightly pounded with a meat mallet until each cutlet is ¼-inch thick. This extra step ensures that the chicken will be tender and moist when cooked. As an added bonus, the chicken can be cooked and refrigerated for up to two days before using.

This dish has some heft to it, so when making the sauce be sure to use a pan or pot large enough to accommodate an entire package of cooked pasta (1 pound), because there’s no going back once you begin tossing the pasta with the sauce. We use bow tie-shaped pasta, also known as farfalle, in this recipe, as its pretty shape is pleasing to the eye and well-suited for a cream sauce. Penne, rigatoni, cavatappi or any medium-sized noodle with ridges will also work well.

Bow tie à la Provençale is rich, tangy and elegant, yet hearty enough to satisfy even the hungriest teenager. The recipe can easily be doubled, and leftovers, if there are any, reheat nicely in the microwave. To usher out winter, we plan to enjoy this pasta dish later this week with a simple salad of mixed greens and red wine vinaigrette, some crusty bread and a good Chardonnay. Welcome, spring!

Directions:Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally and use a meat mallet to lightly pound each piece to ¼-inch thickness. Dredge each cutlet in flour, coating both sides, and fry in vegetable oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned and fully cooked, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, cover and cool for ten minutes and then cut each cutlet into 2-inch medallions. Use same day or refrigerate up to 2 days.

Next, cook the bow tie pasta in boiling water according to directions on package. Drain and set aside.

Use a large sauté pan or stock pot (large enough to hold one pound of cooked pasta),and cook the olive oil and minced garlic over medium-low heat for one minute.

Add white wine and continue cooking on medium-low until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and increase the heat to medium, and cook for another three minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.

Add the crumbled blue cheese and continue cooking over medium heat for another 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the sundried tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes to infuse their flavor into the sauce; add chicken medallions and cook for one more minute until chicken is heated through.

Add the cooked pasta and toss well so that all the noodles are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and adjust as desired. If the sauce appears somewhat dry, add some water, starting with ¼ cup and cook for one minute.

To finish, add the spinach leaves and toss until the leaves just begin to wilt. Transfer to serving platter or bowls and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.

We featured this recipe last year in our weekly column in The Forum newspaper, along with our recipe for Homemade Irish Cream liqueur. Both are great on their own, but when they’re combined they’re even better. The Irish cream liqueur is simple to make and tastes so good you’ll never buy it from the store again. Enjoy!

We love to make bread pudding for several reasons, especially for dinner parties or bruncheons. For one thing, it’s a large-batch dessert and ridiculously easy to make, and can be made in advance and refrigerated, or even frozen, until ready to serve.

Next, it’s a great way to utilize stale or leftover bread, tastes delicious and is always a crowd-pleaser. In fact, we’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t enjoy a good bread pudding. We prefer to use artisan-style breads like the French bread or baguettes from the Fargo Breadsmith store, but rustic dinner rolls or even Irish soda bread would also work great. Stay away from ordinary sliced bread, as it just doesn’t have the heft to create an excellent bread pudding.

This is a classic bread pudding recipe which can be served as is or embellished in myriad ways by adding raisins or other dried fruit. F or this special occasion we’re keeping it Irish by adding a tablespoon of Jameson Irish Whiskey and serving it with an Irish whiskey sauce.

Whenever we include a liquor in a recipe we will invariably receive an email asking if it’s safe for kids to eat. This is such a good question. As long as the liquor is cooked into the recipe, as it is here in both the bread pudding and the sauce, or in a savory sauce, then the alcohol content evaporates during the process, making the dish safe for any age to enjoy.

Because of the high egg content, bread pudding is typically cooked in a water bath at a low temperature, in this case, 300 degrees. The water bath is essential as it keeps the eggs from scrambling and ensures that the dish will be gently and evenly baked.

The Irish whiskey sauce requires a little more technique but is well worth the extra effort. It can be served immediately or refrigerated for several days, or even frozen for up to one month. The base of the sauce is a classic vanilla sauce, also known as a crème anglaise.

To make the sauce, you’ll need to scald the milk first, which helps to infuse any added flavors into the milk, in this case, the vanilla extract. Scalding is not scorching – cook the milk over medium heat just until it starts to boil and becomes frothy, then remove immediately from the heat and cool at room temperature for several minutes.

Next, egg yolks and sugar are whisked together until the mixture becomes very thick and pale yellow in color. Tony uses a whisk to mix his sauce, but it takes several minutes for the sauce to thicken and his muscles are bigger than mine, so I prefer to use my electric handheld or stand mixer instead.

The two mixtures are then combined by adding the cooled milk in a slow, steady stream to the egg and sugar mixture, and then the sauce is returned to the sauce pot to cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the Irish whiskey, stir and serve by pouring over the bread pudding.

Have a Happy St. Patty’s Day and may the luck of the Irish be ever with you!

Combine the eggs, cream, milk, honey, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the bread cubes and mix together. Cover with a damp towel and let the mixture soak for 30 minutes at room temperature. Bake at 300° F for one hour in a water bath until golden brown.

Cool slightly and serve with Irish Whiskey Sauce.

To Store: Keep in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Bread pudding can also be frozen before or after baking. For best results, reheat in microwave before serving whether refrigerated or frozen.

Tony’s Tips:

To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the pudding – when it comes out crumb-free, it’s ready.

For an easy sauce, melt a good-quality vanilla ice cream and add the whiskey once it’s liquid.

Directions:
Dissolve corn starch in 2 tablespoons of milk and set aside. In a small sauce pot, scald the remaining milk and vanilla over medium heat until the edges start to bubble. Remove from heat and add the corn starch mixture into the scalded milk. Stir to incorporate then cool at room temperature for at least five minutes.

Use a whisk or electric mixer to mix the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale yellow in color, about five minutes. Keep whisking and add the cooled-down milk in a slow, steady stream until fully combined.

Return the mixture back to the sauce pot and gently cook over medium-low heat while stirring, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be careful not to bring the sauce to a boil. Stir in the Irish whiskey and remove from stove.

Serve immediately over bread pudding or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days. Reheat before use if desired.

Tony’s Tips:

Sauce can be frozen for up to one month.

Irish cream liqueur or any other flavored liqueur would also work great.

It’s that time of year when I gently remind Tony that there is another cultural heritage to be celebrated in our family. I’m a classic blend of North Dakotan ancestry with German – both from Germany and from Russia – on one side, and Norwegian on the other. But, lucky for me and our son, Gio, both sides also have a healthy dose of Irish, and each March we get downright giddy about that. We like to celebrate our Irish-ness all month long, and this week we’re kicking off the festivities with Irish Potato Leek Soup.

This is a very simple recipe with just a few ingredients, and the result is comforting and delicious. Russet (or Idaho) potatoes are perfect for this soup, but we’ve also used Yukon Golds which bring color and extra creaminess to the dish. In Ireland as well as here at home, there is a love and passion for potatoes that translates neatly into soup, especially when paired with leeks, another favorite among the Irish.

Leeks are a member of the allium family, which also includes onions and garlic. With their unique combination of flavonoids, vitamins and minerals, Alliums are believed to help boost immunity and are a valuable addition to a healthy diet.

The Irish firmly believe in their healing properties, due in large part to a legend about St. Patrick consoling a dying woman. When she shares with him her vision of being healed by an herb, he asks her to describe what it looked like and she tells him that it resembled marsh rushes. St. Patrick leaves and comes back with some rushes, which he then transforms into leeks. The woman eats the leeks and is healed, and the leek is forever immortalized in Irish cuisine.

Leeks have two harvest seasons, winter and summer, and can be easily found in our local markets. They have a milder, more delicate flavor than regular onions or scallions, which makes them a wonderful choice for this soup. Potato leek soup can be found across cultures, and other popular versions include the chilled vichyssoise found in French cuisine, as well as Scotland’s classic cock-a-leekie soup.

The leeks will have some grit inside the leaves, so it’s important to clean them before using. Use a sharp knife to slice them in half lengthwise, from top to bottom, and then fan the leaves out while rinsing under cold water to remove any grit. Once washed, remove the top green leaves and root end and cut into ¼’ inch slices.

The soup will be pureed so the slices don’t have to be pretty, but they should be of consistent size to ensure even cooking, and the garlic cloves can be left whole. We use chicken stock for extra flavor, but vegetable stock or even water may be used instead. Heavy cream is essential to this soup, as it brings a boost of flavor and velvety finish to the soup. To ensure a smooth and creamy texture, Tony encourages you to “blitz the heck out of it” with your handheld or liquid blender.

Potatoes are such a neutral flavor that this soup can be garnished with a variety of toppings, including fresh chives, crumbled bacon, sautéed leeks, fresh herbs, or brightly colored microgreens, as featured today.

March has come in like a lamb and may go out like a lion, but with the luck of the Irish on our side and the comfort of Irish potato leek soup, we’re ready for anything. Erin go bragh!

Enjoy these other Irish-inspired recipes from previously featured posts: